Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-03-11
THE AMERICAN FARMERS.
WHATS TO Become or Them Under the
Existing Stnte OF Affairs.

q. W. Hall, Mt. Vernon. o., In National view.)
There is much said about the numerous
farmers in the United States by many
writer's, and the great balance wheel OF the
'Americsn farmer" on our political ma
chinery. The number of real bona fde own
ers and workers Of farms II is important to
know IN discussing the influence of this
O. ass in politics and morals. 1t is rs
s,med by many persons that we have an
enormous number Of lsnd-owning farmers,
and figures are quoted from the census of
ia misleading. For instance the census
| states:
| Number engaged in agriculture, inelud-
Number oi farms and plantations ... 4,Oos,9O7
The remainder gives farm laborers. .... 3,66l 1856
by the same Census Report of 1880,
| find that there were at that time. Of tenant
farmers, 1924 COL.
The number of farms and plantations,
the reader will notice, amounted to-. 4,00S, ,907
Subtract the 1,Q2i6Ol
Leaving nominal farmers..... .......... 29s4, ,306
| But this does not show the actual facts,
for the mortgage tenant have not inclu-
ded, and no fair estimates can be made
with him left out, fot usury is driving him
into the ranks of the tenants.
The owner and worker OF a farm and the
tenant farmer are two very different and
distinct Individuals. One il in fact, a cap
ilalist, and the other is y laborer in every
sense of the word, usually at the bottom
rung Of the ladder. Hon. B. +. Shively,
Of Indiana, Estimated recently that 20 per
cent, decrease of owing farmers may now
safely be added 10 the tenant class, which
consider too low from what know Of
mor'gaged farms IN this State.
This estimate of Mr.. Shivelys would
reduce the number of sctual owners and
workers OF farms to 2,S87. .445. Let me
illuSlrste the grip the mortgages had on
the farmers Of Ohio in 1884 aud 1885 the
Year 1886 Is not nj hand. For 1884, 49,
900, TO secure $50, 900 900 for 1885, 26 ,8zl
to secure $50 9O5, ,28c for 1886, il Is thougl
10 be larger. In adition to this, The cities
villages and towns had nearly the same
for those years. For 1884, 81 1882, to secure
$35. .204, 1882; for 1885. "a ,452, to secures 20
904, ,439. Without absolute and exact fg-
ures at hand for this date, it has been es.
timsted that not over 100 900 farms ar,
formed by the owners In this state. In
1860 official reports show 277,000. Thu,
il will be seen that the "American farmer, ;
AZ we have known and boasted of, il
doomed, and the remnant that Ia lett OF
him must vanish by virtue OF The mortgage
and the American cut throat finance system
There is no country know Of with one
half Of our population, and claiming mod
ern civilization, but what can discount
this country in The number OF owner and
working farmers. France has about three
10 one of our number. according TO q
recent number OF the Industrial Review
published nt PARIS, France. The "bes
banking system the world ever saw," bor-
rowed from England during the war, Il
confscaiing The farmers land much faster
Than most people imagine. In this state
the official records show that only frac-
lion OF over half Of the mortgages recorded
are cancelled by payment. and the balance
sold by the sheriff.
There is no much talk about our many
millions OF farmers In The United States
and the impression given out that this
class is in n thriving and healthy condi.
ton, that il Ia important TO tell the truth
dinagreeable ns II inny he.
Al another time will more fully 20
over this subject and give facls and figures
from official sources. Only recently a
committee of the Connecticut Legislature
developed the TACT that six Insurance COM
panies Of Hartford. held $50. 900 900 worth
OF mortgages on Western iarms, II only
nix companies held this vast amount Of
cut throat instruments on farms, what
must be the total amount held by the
numerous shylock institutions In the whole
eouniry4